Guerrillas claim Burmese army base
BANGKOK -- Ethnic Karen guerrillas said they captured a Burmese army base on Tuesday near the border with Thailand, representing a morale-boosting action for those opposing the military's takeover of the country's civilian government in February.
Burma's military staged airstrikes several hours later on villages in territory controlled by the Karen forces, according to a guerrilla spokesman, a senior Thai official and a relief worker.
The fighting took place three days after a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders to try to hammer out a plan to restore peace in Burma, where the military government has attempted to suppress widespread opposition to its rule through the use of lethal force. More then 700 protesters and bystanders have been killed by security forces, according to several detailed estimates. The junta's figure is about one-third of that.
A spokesman for the Karen National Union, the minority's main political group seeking greater autonomy from Burma's central government, said its armed wing attacked the base and burned it down just after dawn.
Casualty figures were not yet known, the Karen National Union's head of foreign affairs, Padoh Saw Taw Nee, said in a text message. There was no immediate comment from Myanmar's military government.
Burma is often called Myanmar, a name that military authorities adopted in 1989. Some nations, such as the United States and Britain, have refused to adopt the name change.
Finns seek stricter outdoor smoking rules
HELSINKI -- Finland is seeking to tighten its already tough restrictions on public smoking and tobacco advertising in the next few years, in line with the national goal to phase out the habit almost completely by 2030.
The Nordic country's Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said that the proposal unveiled Monday will further tighten restrictions on outdoor smoking. This would include places such as bus stops, public beaches, children's playgrounds and some outdoor terraces becoming completely smoking-free.
The new amendments would take effect Jan. 1, 2022 and the changes are to be carried out gradually within two years.
Also, the revised law calls for brand names and logos to be moved from cigarette cartons under a so-called plain packaging scheme, starting from the beginning of 2023. Many countries, including Australia and some European nations, have already introduced plain packaging.
Burkina Faso ambush kills 2 journalists
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso -- Two Spanish journalists and the Irish director of a wildlife foundation were killed Monday in an ambush in eastern Burkina Faso, the Spanish government and officials in the African country said Tuesday.
The two journalists were working with the wildlife campaigner on a documentary about poachers in a national park bordering Benin when they were attacked by gunmen, Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Tuesday in a news conference in Madrid.
The Spanish journalists were David Beriain, 44, and Roberto Fraile, 47, said members of the Reporters Without Borders organization representing the two reporters' families.
Beriain was conducting early research for a documentary project on how Burkina Faso's authorities are tackling poaching, also focusing on the communities of people living in the park, according to media content producer Movistar Plus.
The company identified the Irish victim as Rory Young, director of the Chengeta Wildlife Foundation.
At the time of the attack, the three men were traveling with an anti-poaching patrol with about 40 people, said Gonzalez Laya.
The Irish government said it was "aware of the reports and is liaising closely with international partners regarding the situation on the ground."
Burqa ban advances in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposed ban on wearing full-face veils including Muslim burqas in public, citing national security grounds, despite a U.N. expert's comment that it would violate international law.
The Cabinet approved the proposal by Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara at its weekly meeting, Weerasekara said on his Facebook page.
The proposal will now be sent to the attorney general's office and must be approved by Parliament to become law. The government holds a majority in Parliament and the proposal could easily be passed.
Weerasekara has called burqas, a garment that covers the body and face worn by some Muslim women, a sign of religious extremism and said a ban would improve national security.
The U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, tweeted that a ban would be incompatible with international law and the right to free religious expression.
Muslims make up about 9% of Sri Lanka's 22 million people, with Buddhists accounting for more than 70%. Ethnic minority Tamils, who are mainly Hindus, comprise about 15%.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports